Victoria Kerr: Let’s Start Now

As a designer and creative, the opportunity to create a new Scotland was an exciting prospect from the start. I entered this debate as a supporter of Yes from the beginning, so my journey to Yes was less of a personal decision making process, as it was to open others eyes to the possibility of self-determination. You could say that from a designer’s perspective, if you’ve ever tackled a brief before, you’ll know it’s about pushing the boundaries, out-doing yourself, tackling problems and constantly thinking of new possibilities. If we transfer that thought to creating a better country, then Scotland becoming an independent nation is no different. Rather than a frightening prospect, it is an exciting process.

Fortunately, from the beginning I have always been fairly in tune with the current state of our situation. Having grown up in a political, but non-party political, household, the discussion of independence has been at the forefront of many a conversation. My parents lived through several destructive governments, Thatcherism, the poll tax and Labour’s illegal wars, whilst poverty grew and the average man and women were the victims of the ever increasingly corrupt (capitalist) system. This injustice passes through generations, therefore it is natural that my wanting change for the country I choose to live in is so strong.

The central issue for myself is democracy. As a nation, we are ruled and run by an out of touch government nearly 400 miles away (from Glasgow). Our current system does not represent the people and desiring democracy closer to home should not be viewed as a separating of nations, but as an opportunity for us, in any one of the four nations that currently construct Britain, to reconstruct and change a system that isn’t working anymore.

Why should we let what is essentially another larger neighbouring country make decisions on our behalf? For myself, and for many others, it is not about political parties or whether or not you have a dislike for Salmond or Cameron. It is about each and every one of us having a voice that is truly representative. Your voice will be 12 times louder in an independent Scotland. Why would anyone turn that opportunity to be heard down? We deserve an equal society, and not a country where the rich elite allow the poor to get poorer, and the rich to get richer. A society where money raised in Scotland, is spent in Scotland on building a better society for all. A country that doesn’t enter illegal wars and where people come before power. And then there’s Trident. Who would pass up the opportunity to rid this country of such a monstrous and destructive evil?

My decision to vote yes isn’t based on selfish reasoning either. It is about caring for every single person living in this country. For the current generation and for future ones.

As a country of a little under 6 million people, don’t think about what limits us, but what limits we can transcend. We can finally see that self-determination is normalisation. It is the normal state for countries. The power of the people has never been stronger. The Yes grassroots movement has exposed and highlighted the many ills of our current system. Having the opportunity to watch it grow and flourish fills me with immense pride. Not pride for nationality, but pride in each and every single one of the individuals who gave for the future of us all.

Finally, I have hope for the people of Scotland. We have the opportunity to finally take our future into our own hands and create prosperity for all and not just for the few. It isn’t about nationalism, what flag you wave, or what accent you speak with. It is about the people who live, work and choose to make Scotland their home. It’s time we had a voice of our own. It’s time.

As a country we are known for our inventiveness, imagination, innovation and individuality. Imagining, creating and developing a better Scotland for all is the ultimate creative brief. Let’s start now. Vote Yes.

In the summer of 2014 we organised a mammoth 30 day national grassroots pro-independence festival that took place across Scotland during July. The Yestival tour showcased the grassroots cultural movement for Scottish Independence and included communities in the Scottish Borders, Dumfries & Galloway, central Scotland, Western Isles, the Highlands, Orkney, Shetland, the North East, Angus, Perthshire and Fife as well as all of the country’s seven cities.

That same summer we also our put on our first ever Edinburgh Festival Fringe programme at the Scottish Story Telling Centre titled 'National Collective presents...'.

Although the Yes movement didn’t achieve its primary goal of Scottish independence, we made substantial progress, against all of the odds, with an unprecedented 20% swing to Yes and a political engagement powered turnout of 84.59%.

In October 2014 The List magazine awarded us second place in their 'The Hot 100', beaten to the top spot by Peter Capaldi, the newly announced Dr Who.

Individually, our members now continue to make their mark by using their skills and experience to help shape Scotland in their own way.